This Used To Be About Dungeons полностью

“Entad identification?” asked Lola, raising an eyebrow.

“No, it doesn’t seem to,” said Mizuki.

“Well, there are other solutions,” said Lola, nodding. “Tell me about your team, who’ve you got? You’re… some kind of mage, I’m guessing. Hopefully your friend can use a bow?”

Mizuki was feeling… well, not dizzy, exactly, but off balance. There were too many pointed questions coming in too fast, and the girl, Lola, had an intensity that matched her brilliantly purple eyes.

“I’m a sorc,” said Mizuki. “Isra is a ranger. Alfric is a… I don’t know what you’d call him, a fighter?” She wasn’t sure whether she should be saying any of this. Surely there was no harm in it, right? Someone knowing their party composition, or which dungeons they’d hit, that didn’t matter, the dungeons were different for everyone, and if a dungeoneering team went in to do a dungeon right after you, it didn’t change all that much. There wasn’t any point to being coy.

“Alfric,” said Lola, tapping her lips. “Interesting name. Last name?”

“Overguard,” said Mizuki.

“Of the Dondrian Overguards?” asked Lola, stopping and looking at Mizuki with wide eyes. There was something like playacting in how she said it, a theatricality that lowered her opinion of the girl.

“Um,” said Mizuki. “Yes?”

“They’re a very big deal,” she said, nodding. “A dungeoneering family, one of the best.”

“I knew his parents were dungeoneers,” said Mizuki.

“But you’re local, right?” asked Lola. “I mean, I know a bunch of Kiromon settled here.”

“Uh, I guess,” said Mizuki. “There’s a Kiromo neighborhood in Liberfell. I’m from Pucklechurch.”

“But that’s weird, isn’t it?” asked Lola. “That he would come out all this way to recruit people?”

said Hannah over party chat.

“One sec,” said Mizuki, “party chat I need to answer.” She turned to the side.

Mizuki replied.

said Alfric.

said Mizuki.

said Alfric. should meet soon though. We’re leaving the wardrobe in Traeg’s Knob and hoping that no one does anything with it. The rest of today can be for selling what we have. I’m hoping that I can find a floatstone so we have less trouble bringing it back to Pucklechurch. Talk to you later.>

Mizuki turned back to Lola, who was giving her an expectant look. “Problems?”

“No,” said Mizuki. “I don’t think so.” She looked to the door that Isra had gone through, wondering what had taken so long, then back to the strange girl with too many questions. “Sorry if you’re waiting on Perrin, my friend will be done in a bit.”

“Oh, not at all,” said Lola, waving a hand. “I was just going to check in on some bastles we left with him, I’ll come back another time.” She turned to the door, then back to look at Mizuki. “It was nice to meet you, Mizuki. Hopefully our teams run into each other. Tell Alfric he still has my love.”

“Wait,” said Mizuki. “You know him?”

“I’m sure he’ll fill you in,” said Lola, giving Mizuki a wink as she backed out the door. “See you!”

Mizuki stared after her. Alfric was going to have some questions coming his way, that was for certain.

Verity had finished her bath by the time Mizuki and Isra came back from whatever they were doing. The bath had been a proper bath, one with scented soaps that Mizuki apparently didn’t keep stocked at her house. Verity was going to have to spend some time in Liberfell buying a few things. She had gotten used to rather rough living at the Fig and Gristle, necessitated by wanting to stretch her funds, but with all the rings from their first dungeon and a more permanent home with Mizuki, it made sense to stock up on all the little things she’d been missing, like lotions and scents. Perhaps she would buy another dress or two.

When she came out of the shower in her bathrobe, a meal from downstairs was waiting for her, and she didn’t feel the need to stand on ceremony, instead digging in right away. The suite had a nice little seating area, with a table for four off to one side. Mizuki was talking about how their time had gone, as presumably Alfric’s recounting of the trip up the hill carrying the wardrobe hadn’t taken much time to tell.

“Alfric, do you know someone named Lola?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said slowly. He was instantly on guard. “Why?”

“Purple eyes?” asked Mizuki.

“No,” said Alfric. “But I don’t doubt she might have acquired them in one way or another since I last saw her. Mizuki, are you saying that Lola is in the city? In Liberfell?”